- Rahul Gandhi condemned police action against protesting students in Delhi demanding education reforms
- Delhi Police used tear gas and baton charge as students marched on parliament over exam irregularities
- Protesters demand resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over question leaks and glitches
Underscoring that the protesting students in the national capital are "demanding their rights", Rahul Gandhi disagreed with the way the protest was handled by the Centre, saying "tear-gassing and lathicharging" them is neither "democratic" nor "India's way".
The Delhi Police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters on Monday as they tried to march on parliament to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in major examinations, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong in what they (youth) are doing and it is disgusting what the government is doing, what the police are doing. This is absolutely no way to behave, tear-gassing students, lathicharging students is not democratic, is not India's way and it's not the way it should be done," Rahul Gandhi, late in the evening, said in a video message labelling PM Modi as "the most anti-youth prime minister".
Along with his message, the Leader of Opposition also posted a video depicting the alleged police crackdown and the students' protest.
"Boys and girls who are walking the streets of Delhi are not criminals, they are demanding their rights. Their rights are to have an education system that respects them, to have an education system that's fair, to have an education system that's working," Gandhi said, pointing out that this country "has a majority of young people".
The protest comes after activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his 21-day hunger strike in support of youths and the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.
The CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, tapping into widespread anger over the country's education system and unemployment.
"Is this a war zone? Why is the police resorting to tear gas assault on peaceful protesters?" CJP said in a post on X.
The internet was cut in parts of central New Delhi, with police saying they had not given their permission for the protest.
"They have legitimate demands, the PM should accept these demands and do something about it. Everybody is sick and tired of the way our education system is running, everybody is sick and tired of how the RSS has captured our education system and how all our institutions are being run by one organisation. This is a natural response that young people are raising and it should be respected," Rahul Gandhi said.
The CJP said two of its leaders met Union Minister JP Nadda and submitted a letter spelling out their demands after the government reached out to them in the morning.
The Minister confirmed the development, saying the meeting was held in a "cordial atmosphere" but said the proposal came from the protesters.
"This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 am. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," Nadda posted on X.
